Cutting the Conference’s Footprint:
PASA Buys Carbon Offsets, What Can You Do?

Last year’s Greening the Conference program was a great success, and this year we’re stepping it up, but we can’t do it without you! By purchasing carbon offsets equivalent to the emissions associated with the conference, PASA will mitigate the 2010 conference’s impact on climate change. Working with Environmental Credit Corp. (ECC), we will offset emissions caused by transportation to and from the conference center by the nearly 2,000 participants as well as by energy and electricity used during the conference. This year we are investing in the Waste Options Nantucket Landfill methane avoidance project, which creates carbon credits by diverting organic materials from the landfill and utilizing them in composting operations. For information about Environmental Credit Corp (ECC) and to learn about other carbon offset projects they coordinate, visit www.envcc.com. The emissions associated with the conference will be calculated based on the travel of participants as well as the energy consumed at the Penn Stater Conference Center and in the hotel rooms utilized during the conference. Join us by adopting as many of these techniques as you can to help lower the overall emissions — after all, a carbon emission saved is a carbon credit earned!

How to Green Your Conference Experience:

Carpool! How many people can you get into that hybrid vehicle? Share the ride and you’ll significantly cut your carbon costs. Don’t know of anyone coming from your area? Check out our SpaceShare site and maybe you’ll find a companion or three for the drive.

Use public transportation! Buses arrive at the State College bus terminal from cities including New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Or take the train! Amtrak stops in Lewistown and Altoona, each a mere 30-minute drive from the Penn Stater. Click here for travel information.

Flying? Lighten your load! By packing prudently, you will help to reduce the weight of the airplane to make for a lower-impact take-off. The bonus: you’ll save on checked baggage fees!

Buy local snacks! What better way to travel than with your own healthy, delicious, and local provisions to get you through? Your food will travel fewer miles to get to you, so you'll cut carbon emissions while supporting your neighbors. Find your local food source through your local Buy Fresh Buy Local® chapter, at http://www.buylocalpa.org.

Offer a room in your house or share a hotel room! It’s a two-for-one deal — all the energy costs of operating a room can be shared between two. You’ll get extra savings for tripling or quadrupling up. Check out our SpaceShare site to find a roommate or offer a room!

Do not disturb! Tell the hotel staff that they don’t need to vacuum or replace your towels by placing the “do not disturb” sign on your door. You’ll save water and electricity.

Going Eco with Printing! In an effort to be sensitive to pollution, landfills, and our valuable forests, PASA is using soy-based inks on chlorine-free, post-consumer recycled paper for printed materials. We’ve also increased our electronic communications, further reducing the need for paper.

Local Food

The PASA conference meals are famous for gathering regional foods from farmers and producers around the state. Not only is this food grown for taste and nutrition, but also it didn’t burn up loads of fuel to get to your plate! In addition, we’ll ensure our conference attendees have as many local food options as possible through the Farmers Market Café, which will provide an alternative low-budget, quick-grab style of eating and gives folks another way to connect to their farmers and food. See our Conference Meals & Entertianment page for more information.

Recycling…Of Course!

We are committed to reduce, reuse, and recycle. We’ll collect the name badge lanyards at the end of the conference, for reuse next year. The Penn Stater does a great job of using glass and ceramic drinking vessels whenever possible, and when disposable cans and bottles are inevitable, they will dutifully collect and recycle them.

Food Waste Goes Back to the Land

Over a decade ago, a group of concerned students and Penn State employees launched a program to compost cafeteria waste and use the product in the university’s landscaping activities. The project now transforms food waste, landscape debris, and animal manure into compost for use in campus landscaping projects, athletic field maintenance, and agricultural research and demonstration projects. What began as a 10-week demonstration project is now handling food waste from seven dining commons, two campus hotels and the Penn Stater Conference Center.